Kansas USDA chief, Schmidt discuss Atchison County growth needs

Kansas USDA Rural Development Director Gimmie Jo Jansonius and Rep. Derek Schmidt focused on a practical question for Atchison County: which federal programs could actually move money into housing, infrastructure and business growth here.

Atchison County’s case is built around hard numbers. The county had 16,348 residents in the 2020 census and an estimated 16,249 as of July 1, 2024. Median household income was estimated at $62,164, while the median value of owner-occupied homes was $145,700 and median gross rent was $765. About 8.4% of residents under age 65 lacked health insurance, and 62.6% of people 16 and older were in the civilian labor force.

That combination of modest incomes, relatively low housing values and a working-age labor base helps explain why officials keep circling back to USDA Rural Development. The agency’s Kansas office, based in Topeka with area offices in Hays, Iola and Newton, offers loans and grants for housing, community facilities, business development, broadband and other rural infrastructure. For Atchison, the most immediate openings appear to be in the Community Facilities programs and the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs.

Community Facilities can provide direct loans, loan guarantees and grants for public service buildings. In a county where local governments and institutions are trying to keep pace with growth needs, that could matter for everything from health-related services to public buildings that support daily life. The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs are another possible fit because they route zero-interest loans through local utilities for projects that create or retain rural jobs.

Those programs line up with some of the county’s most visible economic realities. Benedictine College remains the largest employer in both the city of Atchison and Atchison County, with an estimated $116 million annual economic impact and 801 jobs supported. Any broader development strategy in Atchison has to account for that anchor institution, along with the smaller employers, contractors and service businesses that depend on a steady local economy.

The county’s long view also matters. Atchison grew as a Missouri River transportation and commerce hub, and railroads helped make it an early eastern terminus in Kansas. That legacy still shows up in today’s infrastructure debates, including broadband. Local leaders have already tied high-speed internet to development at Shannon Industrial Park, where connectivity has been seen as essential for attracting businesses.

For Atchison County, the next step is not a ribbon-cutting photo. It is identifying which projects fit USDA’s loan and grant tools, then lining up the local sponsors, utilities or public bodies needed to turn those programs into concrete investment.